Possibilities
by silkyterrier34
Summary: Spoilers for Episode 4! This story illustrates many theories of Life is Strange. We start our string of theories with a story of what happened to Nathan after the dorm room scene in Dark Room. It explains how he is connected to Mr. Jefferson.
1. Jefferson's Unwilling Accomplice

**So I finished playing Dark Room yesterday and it was amazing!**

 **With Life is Strange I always get theories about what is happening and this episode was no exception. This chapter is a theory I have.**

 **Now I know I'm not the only one who thinks up theories, not by a long shot. I'm really interested in everyone's theories even if they don't quite match up with my own. That is why I am accepting requests from people as well as adding some more of my own.**

 **In this theory, Nathan is the unwilling helper of Mr. Jefferson to kidnap those girls. It shows what happens to Nathan after the dorm scene in the fourth episode.**

 **I don't own Life is Strange (but you probably knew that).**

* * *

Nathan Prescott was driving randomly around the city, trying to get his mind off of everything. His side still hurt from where Warren kicked him, always taking his mind back to his most recent problem.

One of his two phones was stolen by Max and Chloe.

He didn't use that phone much, mostly when he needed drugs from Frank, but there was a chance they could figure out his passcode and see all of his messages. Luckily for him, Mr. Jefferson never called or texted him on that phone, keeping their secret safe.

In actuality, Nathan wanted nothing to do with Mr. Jefferson's business. He only helped get those girls for him because his teacher blackmailed him. His family had total control over Arcadia Bay, but this is the famous Mark Jefferson. He had friends around the world. Including the area which his sister Kristine was presiding in. One call to some buddies and Nathan could forget about ever seeing his sister again. Besides, if there's one thing his father taught him, it's that the Prescott image can't be hurt. Something that a famous photographer could do.

He found himself driving on the beach with no one there but dead whales. He didn't want to look at them, but he couldn't take his eyes off them. The whales caught his attention so much that he had to park or risk crashing.

Whale songs were the only thing that could get him to sleep at night. The only thing that could calm him enough to so much as close his eyes. These whales were never going to sing again. Seeing them made him feel like the world killed them as a giant middle finger to himself. The only creatures that could relax him are gone, leaving Nathan to go the rest of his life without any comfort.

Nathan's whole week had been a complete nightmare. He pulled a gun on a girl, pulled a gun on three people (including that same girl), gotten into a fight twice (with a geek nevertheless), got suspended, his phone was stolen, his deeds for Mr. Jefferson had nearly cost Kate her life as it had for Rachel, and to top it all off the world seemed to be ending.

Nathan's definitely had better days.

A tap on his window interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see who wanted his attention. He was surprised to see Mr. Madsen standing at his window. He was wearing his regular clothing instead of his uniform.

Rolling the window down, Nathan asked, "What do you want?"

"Just your help."

Nathan snorted, "A bit more details."

"I know you've been working with Mr. Jefferson to drug those people." Nathan's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His mouth seemed to suddenly go dry and he could feel beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He locked his eyes onto the steering wheel, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"No need to play dumb with me Mr. Prescott."

"So you reveal you know of my evil plans to me and expect me to let you go to the cops? I didn't think you were that much of an idiot."

Mr. Madsen shook his head, "I'm not going to the cops. Not yet anyway." Nathan raised an eyebrow at this statement. "May I hop in?"

Nathan was about to just floor the gas pedal, but instead he signaled with his head for the man to get in the passengers seat, seemingly against his will. The man nodded in thanks before walking around the vehicle and getting into the passenger's seat. Nathan began driving before Mr. Madsen even reached for his seatbelt.

"So tell me Mr. Prescott, where is it that I want to search for evidence?"

"You think I'm just going to tell you? A man pathetic enough to be kicked out of his own house?" At Mr. Madsen's questioning gaze, he continued, "Your stepdaughter was at Blackwell earlier. She told a friend of hers by the dorms and the rumor spread from there."

He sighed, "I won't deny it. I was kicked out of my house, but that is not important right now. What is important is that we stop Mr. Jefferson from hurting anyone else."

"What makes you think I want to stop Mr. Jefferson? You told me I work with him."

"I think you do. You tried to protect Rachel Amber didn't you? When you told Principal Wells that she brought drugs on campus."

"I was trying to get her expelled..."

"...so she wouldn't have been able to go to the Vortex Club party and get drugged. That's why I backed you up." Nathan opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. This guy's detective work put Sherlock Holmes' skills to shame. There was no hiding anything from this guy.

Nathan sighed, "I would've gotten in big trouble if I didn't dose her drink, but if she couldn't go to the party in the first place I would have nothing to worry about. Look, I'd love to help you, but I can't. Mr. Jefferson's a really famous photographer incase you didn't know. He's got a lot of power. Unlike my family, he doesn't make sure the world knows it. He tries to look humble to get rid of suspicion."

"So you're afraid he's going to what, take your money?"

He chuckled, "That's nearly impossible. I'm talking about our reputation."

"You mean the reputation that your family is like a tyrant over Arcadia Bay and uses their money to escape justice?"

"I mean our reputation as the most powerful people in the area. Believe me, Jefferson could fu- I mean, mess that up easily."

Mr. Madsen exclaimed, "That's what's stopping you?! Wanting to make sure Arcadia Bay knows who's boss?!"

"Well... it's not the only thing," he hesitated, "I think I've said enough. If I say anything else I could be in a world of trouble."

"I still need to know where you take those victims."

"Not gonna happen Madsen. You don't want to get too deep into this."

He admitted, "I probably don't, but somebody has to. How many more people are going to have to suffer before this ends?"

Nathan sat silently for a minute, pondering this. This whole situation has affected him so much. His emotional outbursts are increasing, his paranoia is getting stronger, and he still felt disgusting for posing in some of those photos with the girls, particularly next to the dead Rachel Amber. But his family's safety is at stake if he says anything. His parents had their big house and even a flawless security system, but his sister is halfway around the world in a jungle where Jefferson had once visited.

He made friends there. Friends who at his command and without question would hurt his sister or even- Nathan didn't let himself finish the thought. He couldn't let anything happen to Kristine. She was way too nice to deserve anything bad happening to her and he owed her for all of those times she saved him from their father. He had always been so uptight with Nathan and always seemed to be yelling at him. There were times Nathan was afraid he would be hit, but his sister had always been their to save him.

Nathan repeated, "But I can't."

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

There was a long silence that lasted for several minutes as Nathan thought about the question. Was there anything that Mr. Madsen could do to help? Nathan's answer during 95% of his thinking was 'No,' but he got an idea before he was able to say it.

"I'll take you to the barn on one condition," he answered.

"Name it."

Nathan took one of his hands off of the steering wheel and held it out to the man, "I need to make a call on your phone."

He blinked several times, "I'm sorry wh-"

"I would've used my own phone a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Jefferson is tracking it. I need to use yours, _now_." Without a word Madsen handed over his cellphone and Nathan began calling a number. It began to ring as Nathan muttered, "Oh please pick up."

It was ringing for such a long time that Nathan was sure it would go to voicemail, but then, "Hello?"

Nathan felt like he could jump for joy, "Kristine it's me!"

"Nathan?! Hey what's up?!" She also sounded happy to hear him.

"I'd say nothing much, but that's not the case."

She groaned, "What did Dad do this time?"

"It's not that. Listen, you need to pack all of your things and take the first plane back home. How long will it take you to pack and go to the airport?"

He heard the confusion in her voice, "I don't know. Perhaps I could be at the airport in an hour if I hurry. What's going on?"

"I got myself into some serious bullcrap and I'm about to rebel. The guy I'm rebelling against is Mark Jefferson. He has friends in your area and has blackmailed me into using them against you. Your life could be in very real danger and you need to get out of there."

"You're... you're joking right? You're going to tell me next that you're some secret agent who got himself stuck in a battle with a super villain and then reveal the joke. You need to work on your joking voice Nathan. You sound too serious."

Nathan glanced over his shoulder, as if afraid Mr. Jefferson might be watching him right now, "I am serious Kris. Dead serious! I'm more like the super villain's unwilling sidekick. Pack, get to the airport, and go straight home. Don't tell _anyone_ there that you're leaving."

He barely heard her whisper, "You are serious."

Nathan nodded his head quickly, "Yes. You need to do all of those things! Call home and tell them you're on the way and need them to up their own security. Do you understand?!"

Normally, Christine would complain about how Nathan was treating her like a baby, but instead she answered, "I understand."

He heard her open a suitcase, "Good. Call this number when you get home. Both of my phones are more than likely being tracked."

"I will. Just... be careful. Whatever gang or person you're working with seems like big trouble Nate."

"I can't make any promises." He chuckled and tried to lighten the mood, "And you know I don't like being called Nate." He was confident that he made her smile.

"I'll see you soon... Nate."

The line went dead and Nathan handed the phone back before driving in the direction of the barn.

* * *

After removing the padlock from the barn and opening the doors Nathan got back into his car and drove inside. Mr. Madsen stepped out of the vehicle, already keenly observing his surroundings. Nathan grabbed his jacket from the car, knowing it could get cold where they were going.

Nathan walked over to a small pile of hay, "Here." Both of them removed the hay to reveal a door. It was so heavy that it took both of them to lift it after Nathan unlocked it.

Mr. Madsen observed the large door they now stood at, "It's like a bank vault." After Nathan punched in the code the two stepped inside. Nathan, surprised it wasn't as cold as usual tossed his jacket onto a nearby couch.

He opened a cabinet filled with red binders, "This is what you want to see." He walked away, not wanting to see the photos that he was responsible for. He despised them. The only reason he kept pictures in his room was because he wanted to get used to those kind of pictures. So far it wasn't working.

As he expected, Mr. Madsen seemed to hold his breath from time to time as he looked through the disturbing pictures. It only made him feel guiltier.

Nathan tried to busy his mind by reading things around the room, mostly food labels. Then a letter caught his eye and he went over to read it. It was to his father and was about him. It was by a doctor who claimed to have seen Nathan (Nathan himself couldn't recall him) and how serious his condition was becoming. How it got there Nathan didn't know. He had never seen the letter until now.

"This is awful," stated Mr. Madsen, "And Victoria's next."

Nathan spun to face the man and ran over, "No, no, no he didn't say anything about Victoria." But there, in Mr. Madsen's hands, was an empty binder labeled Victoria. He then remembered Jefferson complaining about a threat she made to him. "No."

"It seems he's going to want you to dose her tonight."

"Victoria's my friend! I can't do that to her!"

The man rested his hand on Nathan's shoulder, "You don't have to. We have undeniable evidence."

"Lets go!"

The two were now driving away from the condemned building and on their way to some officers that Madsen trusted. They had still taken the time to set everything back as it was before they got there.

Except they forgot Nathan's jacket.

Both said nothing, there was no need. They were equally determined to get to the trusted cops and expose the perp.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, a small blue car blocked their path. To avoid a collision Nathan swerved and ended up driving down a hill and right into a tree hard enough for the airbags to go off.

Nathan was awake, but Madsen had been knocked unconscious. The phone that had been used to call Kristine had flung forward and crashed through the windshield while Nathan's was still safely in his pocket. It was safe to assume that Madsen's side got most of the damage.

The boy tried to shake him awake when he heard his door open and felt a sharp pain in his neck. He was sure it was the same pain that some of the girls felt when Mr. Jefferson stabbed them with a needle.

Sure enough, when he was pulled out of the car, he looked up to see Mr. Jefferson.

"What a surprise to see you here," he said to the boy before quickly taking his phone and gun.

"Those are mine!"

He ignored him, "I was going to ask for your help at the party tonight."

"To dose Victoria? No!"

"I changed my mind. I chose a different girl."

Against his better judgment, Nathan laughed, "Who is it? Chloe? Her stepdad is right there. Or if it's Max, guess where I got this." He lifted his shirt to reveal a giant bruise on his stomach. "That girl has that Warren kid madly in love with her. Try to do anything to her and you'll regret even meeting her."

Jefferson stood in thought, "Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to give him a free beverage tonight." Mr. Jefferson looked up. Following his gaze, Nathan looked up the hill to see a girl with blue hair driving a beige truck. Seeing it made Nathan's stomach drop as realization hit him.

"Well Mr. Prescott I'm going to be borrowing you phone. In case I need to make an invitation for the girls. As for Mr. Madsen," he walked over to the car and pulled out a gun the security guard had brought with him, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I borrowed this. His stepdaughter is hard to deal with and this would be a great tool to have. And I'll also be keeping your gun for obvious reasons."

"Are you going to kill us?"

"Not yet." The last thing Nathan saw before he was knocked unconscious was Jefferson's foot heading toward his face.

* * *

 **That's one of my theories. What did you think? Do you want me to write any theories? Let me know in the reviews!**


	2. Legionary Prime: Surprising Rescuers

**This chapter is based of of Legionary Prime's theory, as shown below.**

 _ **"My theory is that I think Nathan was drugged with brainwashing/mind control drugs and forced against his will to work for Jefferson. Reason why I believe that is that Kate was brought back to her dorm after being abducted. She wasn't killed like Rachel or presumably, the others. Its possible he could have showed guilt and let Kate live instead of killing her. Even though Nathan is a prick, I don't think he's evil enough to do things like this, at least willingly. He is taking a lot of pills, after all**_

 _ **Plus, he's working for David in some capacity. We know David would not do those things so I have to think that Nathan knows what is happening and trying to take down Jefferson, and Max, is unknowingly, messing his own investigation. I actually have a gut feeling the finale will open up with Nathan and David breaking into The Dark Room, freeing Max and taking down Jefferson.** **"**_

 **This chapter is a theoretical opening of Episode 5.**

* * *

Max must have passed out. One moment she was looking up at her teacher and the next she was tied up in the Dark Room. She had no memory of how she got in her position on the floor, lying down and facing the white background.

She rolled over to see Mr. Jefferson make his way to a table. He was wearing clear gloves and looked as determined as he was when he had a mountain of papers to grade. Max felt fear bubble inside her stomach and tried to rewind. Nothing happened.

The girl called weakly, "Please..." She was sure her once favorite teacher and idol heard her, even if he didn't look at her.

Mr. Jefferson simply picked up a syringe and inserted it into a small bottle. It had to have been the same drug used on Max earlier at the junkyard. If she got any more of that stuff she would have no chance to use her rewind, and she was not going to let that happen.

"Don't do this." She pleaded. Mr. Jefferson paid no attention and began to walk towards Max. She was now filled with so much fear that she felt like she could vomit. She had to escape. She had to save Chloe... somehow.

Standing over Max, like at the junkyard, Mr. Jefferson told her, "You were a very good photographer Max. You had a gift. It'd be a shame to kill you. But you spent too much time sticking your nose where it doesn't belong instead of taking photos. After I'm done adding your pictures to my collection I'm afraid you'll have to go. This will be your last memory."

"Mr. Jefferson... why are you doing this? You were one of the coolest teachers at Blackwell."

"Remember Monday's class? Arbus took pictures of people in their darkest moments. That's too easy. Taking pictures of people at the height of their innocence is more worthy in the art world."

"You killed Rachel. You almost killed Kate."

"Kate was supposed to die, but Nathan's drugs must have wore off. He returned her to her dorm instead."

Max blinked in surprise, "You drugged Nathan?"

Jefferson nodded, "Vortex club parties were the best places to get girls. I could spike Nathan's drink, that is if he wasn't drugged already, and I could pick a girl to bring here."

"We thought Nathan was the one behind all of this. He sent Chloe the message!"

" _I_ sent the message. I just figured it'd be better to use his phone."

Max couldn't believe what she was hearing, what she had seen earlier. It was all Jefferson. He drugged those girls, he took those photos, _he_ killed Chloe. She had to get out of here. She just had to.

When Max didn't reply Mr. Jefferson began to kneel, syringe ready, saying, "Good night Max."

"No..."

Mr. Jefferson was suddenly punched right under the ear and he fell, out cold. Max adjusted her head to see Mr. Madsen, getting ready to punch again, and Nathan running into view.

Seeing that Jefferson was out, Madsen bent down and began untying Max, "You okay?"

Max was filled with so many emotions that it made her head spin. Fear, relief, joy, confusion, anxiety, and grief were just a few that she could identify.

Chloe's dead. She knew she had to tell Mr. Madsen if he didn't know already. Max wasn't sure if it was best to say it directly or to beat around the bush.

When untied she stood and said to Chloe's stepfather, "Mr. Madsen... I'm so sorry!"

"What are you-?"

"Chloe's dead! Jefferson shot her! I tried to warn her I swear, but he had already drugged me!" She whispered, "I'm so sorry!"

Madsen stood in shock, eyes welling up with tears. He sat on the couch as he began to shake. Max saw Nathan standing there looking at him with pity, an emotion she never thought she'd see on his face, and unsure of what to do.

The man then buried his face in his hands and began to quietly sob. The sight made Max feel hopeless. Here was a man who had been in combat, seemed so cold and invincible, breaking down. It made her feel like the world was doomed. It made Max's own grief for her friend grow, and she didn't even know it was possible for her grief to get any worse.

The feeling was replaced by determination, "I have to save Chloe."

"Your friend's brains haven't rubbed off on you have they?" she turned to Nathan when he spoke, "She's already dead."

Max began to run out of the room calling back, "Not if I can help it!"

* * *

 **Be sure to review!**

 **Guest, I had the exact same reaction at the end!**

 **Beverly Law, I'm glad you think so!**

 **Hi fan! If my theory is correct, I'm going to be so excited!**

 **And last, but not least, CG, I actually agree with most of your theory. I'm not sure if I have time to write a detailed story of all of Episode 5. However, I can use the next chapter or two to show snapshots of your theory. I wanted to run the idea by you before I did anything. I'm afraid I don't have a twitter, but I like your epilogue idea!**


	3. CG Part 1: The First Victim

**Hi CG! I decided to split your theory into two chapters. I recently started school and am trying to finish this before you start. I'll do my best to include as much of your theory as I can! If you want me to make any changes to this chapter, just let me know! I've already made changes that you requested.**

 **This chapter outlines three parts of CG's theory. Jefferson, who was then Harry Prescott, has a bad breakup with his girlfriend and makes her the first victim of the Dark Room, William gets into a car crash with Jefferson and gets killed by him when he spots a victim, and Max uses Warren's photo to save Chloe.**

 **There is going to be blood and violence in this chapter, but nothing very graphic.**

 **I don't own Life is Strange and Pocketful of Sunshine belongs to Natasha Bedingfield.**

* * *

 **A Relationship Gone Bad (25-30 Years Ago)**

Elizabeth Garrison was a senior at Blackwell. She had long blonde hair and shining blue eyes. Her passion was dancing, especially ballet. She was so good in fact that Blackwell accepted her with a scholarship.

Elizabeth sat in the passenger seat of her boyfriend, Harry Aaron Prescott's car. He himself was sitting in the driver's seat. The car was parked on the edge of a cliff looking over the city. It was a beautiful scene, one that most girlfriends would adore being with their boyfriend on. However, Elizabeth felt very uncomfortable at the moment, as she always felt around her boyfriend now.

Their relationship used to be close to magical, but Harry's changed a lot. She'd witnessed him throwing objects such as vases, books, or even punches when angry. And yet, he was somehow scarier when he was calm. Like a storm was silently brewing inside and would appear without warning. Though it seemed like no one could see it but her.

She couldn't take it anymore. She had to end this relationship and get on with her life. If only she could break this awkward silence to tell him.

"It's beautiful," he said, not looking away from the city, "I wish I had a camera."

"It is, and of course you do," was all she said back. She too didn't take her eyes away from the view.

He looked over at her, "You seem stressed."

She took a deep breath, knowing it was now or never, "I'm breaking up with you." There she said it. No use drawing it out.

Harry grew eerily calm, "I don't think you are."

Gathering up all of her courage, she replied, "Yes I am, Harry."

He shook his head, calmly saying, "I've went through enough bull in my life Elizabeth. Don't add to my list of problems."

"Oh yeah, being a Prescott must be _so_ difficult."

"Oh you think? Well it is. My father makes sure of that." He glanced to the back seat where his broken camera was. It was in two halves, and probably has a footprint on it representing his father's. "You should really think about what you're doing."

"I have been! For months! This relationship isn't working Harry! And frankly, I don't want it to!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

Now Harry seemed to be getting a little angry, "Watch it Elizabeth or you're walking home."

"You know what?" she opened the door and hopped out, screaming back, "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" before slamming the door.

She began her trek back to her house. It was a long ways back and it was now very dark, but she didn't care. Anything to get away from Harry. She'll just go over some of her dance routines in her head to distract herself.

As Harry sat in his car, his calm demeanor changed to a ferocious one. Without warning he jumped out of his car and ran after Elizabeth.

She didn't see it coming. She lost her footing as her ex tackled her to the ground. Looking up at him, she saw pure rage in his eyes.

"How dare you!" he screamed. Now afraid, she kicked him in the groin and ran. But she wasn't fast enough to get away from Harry, who grabbed a large rock and with incredible aim, threw it at her head.

The last thing Elizabeth saw before closing her eyes was her ex walking towards her.

* * *

Elizabeth didn't know how much time had passed while she was in the dark room. It didn't matter, one minute would've been too long to stay in this place.

Harry had once explained to her that the secret room under the barn was a safe haven for him. He would hang out here whenever he got stressed. This place was far from a haven to Elizabeth.

As she sat up in front of the white background, wrists and ankles tied, she saw the familiar flash of her boyfriend's camera. She used to love being a model for his pictures, but after a few days, weeks, or months, she despised it.

He admired the picture before sighing and shaking his head, "It's just not right anymore Elizabeth."

She cringed when he said her name. The way he said it now just sounded so wrong. It was amazing that she used to adore it when he said Elizabeth or Lizzie. It used to be filled with so much love.

Walking over to a nearby desk, Harry put down the photo before turning on the radio.

 _"Today, the family of Elizabeth Garrison is inviting Arcadia Bay to a small gathering to remember the late high school student. Elizabeth committed suicide by jumping off a cliff while on a date with her boyfriend, Harry Aaron Prescott. There was a river below the cliff, washing away Garrison's body. She has yet to be found, but her family remains hopeful that they'll find her and give her a proper burial."_

Harry changed the station, "Don't you just hate the news? It's so boring. If you ask me, the radio should be just for music."

He began browsing stations, leaving Elizabeth to her thoughts. She felt relief that Harry seemed to be getting bored with her. Soon, he'd let her go and she'd be able to reunite with her family. She smiled, imagining their reactions to her homecoming.

Harry finally stopped on a channel playing ragtime. Satisfied with the channel, he left to find something. It kind of shocked Elizabeth that she didn't want to dance to the radio. Even when their relationship went sour Elizabeth couldn't resist but dance to any sort of music. Although, she hasn't danced in so long.

Harry returned, to Elizabeth's horror, with a pistol.

"Where did you get that?!" she exclaimed.

"Has this place made you stupid? I bought it."

"W-why?" She of course, knew why.

Harry didn't answer. He just took a wooden stool and set in front of his ex. He sat on it for a bit, just staring at her.

By now Elizabeth had tears crawling down her face, "Harry..."

"I told you that you should've thought about what you were doing didn't I?" Elizabeth thought back to their last date when he had warned her to think before breaking up with him. "Didn't I?"

Elizabeth was too frightened to answer.

"After everything that's happened, you have nothing to say?"

She simply shook her head.

"You really have gotten boring," he aimed his gun at her head.

Suddenly, she screamed, "Harry, no!" Before he fired.

It was a perfect shot. Elizabeth's body fell over and some blood began oozing from her forehead.

Satisfied, Harry stood and carried the stool to the desk with the radio. By now the song had changed to another ragtime tune. He set the gun on the desk and sat on the stool, listening to the radio.

Harry thought about his experience with Elizabeth in the Dark Room, taking pictures of her bound. It turned on some sort of switch in his brain, and he suddenly wanted to go back in time to the beginning of the experience. But of course, time traveling was impossible.

If he wanted to experience this again, he'd just have to get another girl.

* * *

 **William Price's "Accident" (5 Years Ago)**

William Price backed out of his driveway. It was very hot that day, but that wasn't going to stop him from getting a mocha while he was out.

He had his plan all figured out. Pick up his wife from the grocery store, go get a mocha, and return home to his daughter Chloe and her friend Max if they hadn't burned down the house.

His love for his family was infinite. He knew Joyce like the back of his hand. He knew how she was a bookworm, how she began cooking when she was four, that she preferred to walk than drive, and while her language was clean when people were around, she could throw cuss words left and right when she thought that she was alone.

Chloe could be a bit hard to handle, but William still loved her to pieces. While she could have a sassy attitude and would be rebellious just for the sake of being rebellious, she had a kind heart.

The influence she had on his life was incredible. He used to despise heights, but now every year when the fair comes to town, he's on the Ferris wheel with his daughter. He was never really into music, but ever since Chloe discovered rock it became her favorite, and as a result, it was William's favorite too.

It didn't matter that his job didn't pay much, or the fact that his life wasn't very exciting. As long as he had his girls, he was fine. Nothing could ruin that.

William was about halfway to the grocery store when he got to the four way section. It was surrounded by trees with no houses in sight. He had no stop sign, so he entered the intersection, but the car coming from the other direction didn't halt for his own stop sign.

William's windshield shattered and the airbag went off as the car did multiple 360s going off the road. The car that hit him had stopped but was still running. All it had was a damaged hood and cracked windshield. William also noticed that its trunk was now halfway open.

He shook his head, pieces of glass flinging off his hair and face. Surveying the damage around him, William realized just how lucky he was to be alive. He did notice however, that his leg really hurt and was most likely broken.

Opening his door, he called to the other driver, "Hey Buddy are you alright?"

"Help me!"

Those two words instantly made him alert. They sounded like they were coming from a girl Chloe's age. He hopped out, quickly regretting putting so much weight on his leg. He limped over and looked in through the passenger window. There was only one person in the car, a man. Whoever he was, he was alive and dazed, but wasn't the one who called for help.

So who had called for help?

"In the trunk!"

William hobbled over and opened the trunk further. He gasped when he saw a girl, a bit older than Chloe, with her hands and feet bound together with duct tape.

"You have to help me!"

He nodded his head and reached to untie her, "If we walk north we'll run into a gas station. Everything is going to be-AH!"

He clutched his abdomen and fell to his knees. A large piece of glass had been imbedded in his stomach by the other driver. There was no way that it didn't hit something important.

His head shot up when he heard the car trunk slam shut again. He saw a rather handsome man. He had seem him before in pictures, he was sure of it.

"Who are you?"

The man looked down at him, "Mark Jefferson. You might know me as the famous photographer." William instantly realized the significance of man. This guy was an inspiration of Max's.

"Then what are you doing with that girl?"

"That is none of your business."

William solely used his arms to crawl a bit of a ways from Jefferson, "Maybe not mine, but definitely the police."

"Not if I can help it." William tried to stand but instantly gave up due to the immense pain in both his leg and abdomen. "My secret will die with you. And with her..."

"You're... you're a..." William had moved his body in in a way that caused him to hiss in pain. "monster."

He looked down and noticed that he was losing a lot of blood. He had hoped that keeping the glass in there would dramatically slow any bleeding. While it did slow the bleeding, he was still losing blood. He tried to apply pressure with his hand.

Mark Jefferson shook his head, "What have you gotten yourself into? You really should have watched where you were going. Now look what's going to happen to you."

"How are you going to explain my death?"

"I have connections."

"Your connections won't protect you forever! Justice will get ahold of you!"

Mark began to walk around his car to the driver's seat, "You're losing blood fast, your car has stopped, and no one's going to be driving through here for at least an hour. Your family will have to learn to live without you."

William watched in despair as the car drove off. He knew Jefferson was right, both he and this girl were doomed. He managed to crawl to his car, and sat so that his back was resting against it.

He failed that girl. He failed his family. William chanced a look at his abdomen, but the blood and glass made him look to the sky instantly. Already, he could feel himself losing consciousness.

What was going to happen to Joyce and Chloe? Joyce's job as a waitress only paid so much. Was it enough to effectively raise Chloe? What would their reaction be to his death?

 _"She's never leaving me!"_

 _"That makes all of us."_

That was the last thing he said to his daughter. He hoped and prayed that she understood that those words were true. William may be dying, but he refuses to leave her.

He began to weakly sing a song that he and Chloe would sing together when one of them needed cheering up.

 _"I've got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine. I got a love and I know that it's all mine. Oh, oh whoa._

 _"Do what you want but you're never gonna break me. Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me. No. Oh whoa._

 _"Wish that you could, but you ain't gonna own me. Do anything you want. You can't slow me down. Oh no."_

He strained to sing louder for the chorus, _"Take me away! A secret place! A sweet escape! Take me away! Take me away! To better days! Take me away! A hiding place!"_

William smiled as he pictured Joyce and Chloe, smiling at him as he sung. He then closed his eyes forever.

* * *

Mark Jefferson opened his flip phone and dialed a familiar number as he drove. After a few rings he heard someone pick up.

"Sean Prescott."

"It's me."

"Harry?"

Jefferson reminded him, "It's Mark now, and I need a favor." After some silence he continued, "I killed a man. He's lying in the middle of the 42nd 136th intersection by his wrecked car. I need a cover-up."

Sean exploded, "Do you realize what this can do to the Prescott image?! You've ruined everything!"

"Not if you help me. Do something to convince the police this was a hit-and-run accident. Be sure to cover my tracks." Jefferson hung-up without another word.

* * *

 **Max's Second Chance (Present Day)**

Max ran as fast as she could to the boys dorm, the only thing on her mind being that picture Warren took. She pushed the door so hard that it flung and hit the wall. Not wasting a second, she frantically knocked on Warren's door.

After a moment (though it seemed like forever), Warren opened the door.

He seemed very hung over, and tried to ask while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "Max? What are you-?"

"I need the picture you took last night!"

Warren, taken aback by the urgency in her voice, responded with, "Um... okay, but-" Max ran past him and grabbed the photo that was on his desk. "Max? Is everything okay?"

Max looked at Warren, determination clearly defined on her face, "It will be." She focused on the picture, ignoring Warren as he asked more questions. The familiar feeling of traveling through time engulfed her and she was suddenly standing next to Warren as he snapped the photo.

Chloe looked outraged, "We've got no time for this-"

"Chloe!" Max attacked her with a hug.

"Enough with the sudden hugs today Max! We need to-"

Max interrupted, "He's innocent! Sort of. He did drug those girls, but Nathan's not the mastermind! I'm here thanks to Warren's photo! I'm from tomorrow!"

"What?" Max and Chloe turned to a confused Warren, who Max had forgotten was there.

"Excuse us Warren." Max pulled Chloe away.

After they were a good distance away, Chloe asked, "Well if Nathan isn't the mastermind then who is?"

"Mr. Jefferson! He's behind the entire thing! He shoots you in the future, takes me to the Dark Room. We need to expose him!" After mentioning what Jefferson had done, Chloe looked even more furious.

She rolled her eyes, "Well duh!"

Warren drunkenly stumbled over to the girls, "What's going on?"

Max replied, "No time to explain, but we need your help!"

Warren shrugged his shoulders, "Fine."

"Warren, do you have a voice recorder?"

He thought about this for a moment, "I have one in my dorm. I'll go get it." Warren then turned to go to the boys dorm.

She turned to her friend, "Chloe, call David and tell him to bring Principal Wells and the other teachers to the party."

Chloe, as expected, was not pleased with this, "What?! You want me to bring _him_ into this?!"

Max grabbed Chloe's shoulders, "Listen! David made it clear to me this morning that he has absolutely no loyalties to the Prescott family. Besides, if he hadn't been there, I would've been dead. Believe me, he can be fully trusted now!"

"But-"

"We need him here!" she exclaimed.

After a moment, Chloe got out her cell phone, "I hate you so much." She dialed her stepfather's number.

He picked up on the first ring, "Chloe?"

She said sarcastically, "Oh thank God you answered."

Max asked, "Can you put him on speaker?"

Chloe obeyed, "You're on speaker and Max is here. Before you ask I'm not in trouble."

Mr. Madsen sounded suspicious, "Then why are you calling me?"

"Because Max made me."

Max spoke loudly into the phone, "Mr. Madsen, we need your help. You told me you don't trust Jefferson."

"Not one bit."

"And it turns out you're right. He..." Max realized that if she gave him the actual reason, he wouldn't let her and Chloe help due to the danger, "He's been stealing money from students. I have a plan to expose him tonight, but I need your help. Can you bring all of the teachers to the party?"

David responded, "I can try."

Chloe simply said, "Good." before hanging up. "So now what?"

"We wait for Warren and David.

* * *

 **Guest, I guess it depends on the drug that Jefferson used. I was recently given a gas at the dentist and while it made me feel like my whole body had fallen asleep I could run if I wanted to. That would be awesome if Max could bring people back with her!**

 **Please review!**


	4. CG Part 2: Exposing a Monster

**I must say CG, you have a very long theory! XD The rest will be posted tomorrow. And then I have to work on Guest's theory as well as a few of my own.**

 **Guest, I can definitely write about Madsen looking into William's death, but I'm not sure how I'd write the second theory.**

 **In this chapter, Max's plan is put into action and the tornado arrives.**

* * *

 **Exposing a Monster**

Now that David had arrived with the teachers and Warren with the tape recorder, Max could make her way into the VIP section of the party.

Victoria Chase stood chatting with some friends, trying to be heard over the loud music. Summoning up all of her courage, she tugged on Victoria's sleeve.

Victoria turned to see her, "Sorry, Max. Vortex Club members only."

"I'm on the guest list," she responded.

"I'm taking you off."

Max buried her frustration, "I won't be here for long. I have a big favor to ask of you."

"And I should do this favor, why?"

"As you know, Mr. Jefferson is going to announce the winner of the Everyday Heroes Contest. I have a hunch it's going to be you. I'm going to need you to let me make an announcement after your victory speech."

"Well of course it's going to be me. What's this all about Max?"

Max tried to mentally let Victoria know how dire of a situation this was, "It's very important! You wouldn't believe everything if I told you, but it has to do with Kate Marsh. Tonight, justice will be served. Will you trust me?"

Victoria seemed hesitant, "You're acting really weird tonight, but I can tell you're not joking. Alright, I'll trust you on this one."

Max smiled, "Thanks. You won't regret it."

As Victoria turned back to her friends Max made her way to the other side of the room to Chloe.

"David has all of the teachers by the entrance. We didn't want to get Jefferson suspicious."

Max nodded, "Good thinking."

"Your geek friend Warren had a great plan too. Even wasted he's still a genius."

"And what plan would that be?"

Chloe seemed to be getting excited, "That tape recorder you requested? It can wirelessly hack the speakers. Anything Jefferson says will be blasted instead of the music. I assume that's who the recording device was for."

"Indeed it was," Max glanced around for Mr. Jefferson, knowing it'd be around this time when he'd show, "We better talk about something else for now. We don't want you-know-who overhearing us."

"How about what we should do tomorrow. Life's going to get very boring after we finish this."

Max disagreed, "Not really. One, I'm with you. Definitely nothing boring there. And two, we still have that tornado to stop."

Chloe crossed her arms as she thought, "I honestly forgot about that. Maybe just finishing our mission tonight will stop it."

"So you made it Max!" Said girl jumped at the sound of her teacher's voice. She had been a bit surprised the first time, but now it had terrified her.

"Oh, uh, hey Mr. Jefferson..."

"Um... are you both okay?" he asked, "You look like you're on a mission..."

Max decided that it was best to use the same excuse as last time, "We were just looking for Nathan."

Unlike before, Max noticed that something changed in his eyes, "Aha. I didn't know you were pals with him. I haven't seen him since this afternoon. He seemed pretty upset. I think he's still quite upset over the whole Kate situation."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

Mr. Jefferson began to leave, "Lets talk later Max. I have to announce the winner of the contest. I sure wish you would've entered."

Chloe interrupted, "Actually Mr. Jefferson, we both wanted to talk to you later. After you're done with your announcement of course." She was being so polite, that Max was afraid it'd blow their cover.

"Definitely. Please excuse me, I'm almost on," he said before leaving.

After he was on the stage, Chloe told Max, "I think Warren already hacked the DJ's computer." Max looked to the other end of the VIP section. Warren had somehow gotten in and was giving them the thumbs up.

Everybody settled down once they heard Mr. Jefferson on the stage. Then they began to cheer for him, some girls were even swooning.

Max told Chloe, "Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well."

"This plan is full proof. The only thing that can ruin this is my stepdad."

"I can think of plenty of things that can go wrong."

"Always the pessimist."

Everyone observed as Mr. Jefferson opened the letter, "Oh my, what a shocker. Victoria Chase!" People began cheering for Victoria, who was now looking happier than Max had ever seen her.

With much excitement she went up to the stage and spoke into the microphone when it was handed to her, "Thank you so much, Mr. Jefferson! It was your incredible photography that brought me to Blackwell and I hope I can live up to your name... and fame."

Max looked at Chloe, who was using her hand to mimic Victoria talking. Her eyes were looking up as if they had frozen in an eye roll and her mouth was also following Victoria, her tongue sticking out more than usual when she talked.

"I also want to thank all the students for being so dedicated in their pursuit. And I'd like to dedicate this prize to Kate Marsh. She's the real everyday hero of Blackwell."

Victoria glanced over at Max, "And since she's not here to give a speech, I think it's fitting that we let the person who saved her should get to say a few words." At that, the whole room started cheering for Max.

At Victoria's signal, Max walked onto the stage and gently took the microphone, "Thank you Victoria."

Victoria nodded in reply and stepped to the back of the stage.

"I agree wholeheartedly that Kate is an everyday hero. She's kind to everyone and tried her best to see the good in the world. I have never felt so relieved as I was when she didn't jump."

She took a deep breath, hoping that what she said would set up her conversation with Jefferson later. That was the point of this whole speech after all, "This week we've seen snowfall, eclipses, dead animals, and tonight, a double moon." She noticed people looking out the window to see the moons. "However, I think we can all agree, that Kate's attempted suicide was the most tragic thing that's happened since the disappearance of Rachel Amber. Both girls were courageous with good hearts."

"Here, here!" shouted Chloe, who was followed by cheering students. Max allowed herself a glance at Jefferson. He was smiling, but his eyes looked suspicious.

"Thank you," she handed the microphone back to the DJ.

After joining Chloe, Max noticed Mr. Jefferson following her.

"You said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Oh yeah..." Max realized they couldn't talk here. Mr. Jefferson would hear his voice on the speakers, "Can we go outside so we don't have to talk over the music."

Jefferson nodded, "Follow me."

* * *

Jefferson unlocked the art room and held the door open for the girls, "After you."

Max was pretty sure other girls would've found this enchanting, but all she and Chloe could feel for him was disgust. They walked in, flinching when Jefferson shut the door behind them.

"So what can I do for you ladies?"

Max calmly said, "We wanted to talk to you about my speech."

"Oh? It was very beautiful. It's a shame what happened to those poor girls." Chloe thought now would be a good time to turn on the recorder.

Chloe slammed her fist on a table before swinging the hand behind her back like it was hurt, "Cut the crap Jefferson! We know you killed Rachel!"

Max added, "And that you forced Nathan to drug Kate!"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the party everyone had stopped dancing to listen to the voices on the speakers.

Ms. Grant asked Mr. Madsen, "What did they just accuse him of?"

Jefferson's sigh could be heard on the speakers, "Yes I did. I had a hunch you two found out." Nobody heard the last sentence because they had been gasping and murmuring to each other.

* * *

Max looked sadly at the man who was once her hero, "Why? Why kidnap them and take those disturbing photos of them?"

"Is this where the villain monologue begins?" asked Jefferson.

* * *

At the party, everyone shushed each other by the time Max asked why he did what he did. They stood, dumbfounded by what they heard.

"You're right it is!" Chloe shouted through the speakers, "Start talking!"

Recognizing Chloe's voice, some teachers turned to look at Mr. Madsen. David, however, wasn't there. He had run off to look for the three on the speakers.

* * *

Mr. Jefferson walked over to observe some pictures on the wall, "As you may or may not know, I've been doing this for years. It all started with my girlfriend Elizabeth. She brokeup with me and I got so angry I hit her in the head with a rock.

"She was a model for many of my pictures, and I wanted her to be the muse of more. So I took her to my hideout, which you two have already helped yourselves inside of. Taking pictures of her bound were some of the best photos I've ever taken. But sadly, all good things must come to an end. Elizabeth was getting boring, and I couldn't just let her go. I had already fooled the police long ago that she had committed suicide, so killing her was easy."

Jefferson turned back to the girls, "I wanted the thrill again, so I had to take more girls. Along the road I had to cover my tracks with drugs or even changing my name. Whether a girl was aware of the situation dictated whether or not she died."

Max felt close to tears. His name had been the only thing that she was sure about him. Now she knew nothing about him. Everything was a lie.

Chloe replied, "And that name would be?"

"Harry Aaron Prescott."

Max couldn't say she was surprised, "You do look a lot like Sean Prescott."

"My brother."

Chloe huffed, "A Prescott. No wonder you could get away with all of this."

Jefferson, or Harry, shrugged, "Well my family certainly couldn't expose my art. It'd ruin our image."

Max crossed her arms, "No one's going to want to see your despicable art. Not any of your art after you're arrested."

"And where's the proof for my arrest?"

Max turned to Chloe, "You get all of that?"

Chloe revealed the voice recorder behind her back and lightly tossed it to her friend, "Every word."

Max observed the recorder and rewound back, _"And where's the proof for my arrest?"_

To the surprise of both girls, Jefferson didn't look like he was panicking. He calmly walked over to the door and pressed down on the knob, only for it not to budge.

It was locked.

"You'd have to get it to the police first."

Max infuriated, probably said the dumbest thing she ever said in her life, "Or the students and faculty who just heard your little confession instead of music could go and testify."

Max immediately regretted what she said. If Chloe and her had just handed over the tape and acted like that was the only evidence, Jefferson might have let them go. Now there was no way they could escape this.

Finally, Mr. Jefferson looked panicked, but furious, "What did you do?!" He stepped forward, causing the girls to scoot closer to each other. "What did you do?!"

They then heard someone trying to open the door. On the other side, Mr. Madsen was cursing under his breath that it was locked. However, he wouldn't give up. He went to the science room door and opened it and walked to the other side of his room.

Jefferson snatched the recorder and threw it to the other side of the room, "We're leaving. Out the window!" He pulled out a gun.

* * *

Madsen, from the other side of the science room began to run as fast as he could toward the door. Using all of the momentum he could he rammed himself into the door, knocking it off of its hinges.

Not allowing himself to trip, David grabbed Jefferson, wrestling the gun out of his hand. When the gun fell harmlessly to the floor, Jefferson was thrown on his back.

Chloe, for once impressed with her stepfather, said, "Huh. Go David."

While Mr. Madsen handcuffed Jefferson, Max told him, "David was right about you _Jefferson_!"

As Jefferson was hauled to his feet, he said, "And to think you were my favorite student! I knew something was off about you since Monday! I was hoping you were focusing on your entry, but you were focusing on me! You've ruined me!"

As David began to pull him away, Jefferson told Chloe, "And you! You couldn't have stayed out of this, couldn't you?! Putting your nose where it doesn't belong just like your father!"

That got Chloe's attention, "Hold it David!" She didn't even need to say that, Madsen had already stopped at his last comment. "What did you just say?! You better be talking about my stepdad here!"

"Your father hit me with his car. Got out and tried to help one of my victims. I had no choice."

Chloe still looked mad, but tears were threatening to fall out of her eyes, "You... you killed him?" She tried to charge forward, Max stopping her. She simply settled with screaming, "YOU KILLED MY FATHER YOU PSYCHO!"

David quickly pulled Jefferson away as Max began comforting Chloe.

* * *

The blue and red of the police sirens would take turns shining on Max's face as she stood alone in the parking lot, a warm blanket wrapped around her.

She went over her text messages with Kate, _"Hey Kate. Are you still awake?"_

 _"Hi Max! Yeah, what's going on?"_

 _"Have the nurse turn on the TV and turn to the news."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"You'll find out soon. What you'll see will shock you. I'm sorry the truth had to come out like this..."_

She didn't hear from Kate for what seemed like forever, _"Oh God."_

 _"I know Kate..."_

 _"So that's what happened..."_ it was followed by the text, _"Thank you Max."_

"Don't thank me just yet. Wait until Jefferson gets the punishment he deserves."

Max put away her phone and sighed, it being cold enough that she could see that exhaled breath in the air.

"Max?"

She turned around to face the one who addressed her, "Joyce." They hugged, "How is Chloe?"

"Still angry I'm afraid." Max noticed that Joyce's eyes looked puffy, like she had been crying. "I still can't believe it... about William."

"I know. I'm so sorry Joyce."

Joyce cracked a smile, "You have nothing to be sorry for sweetheart. It's not your fault. I'm so proud of you... _both_ of you for finally revealing the truth after all these years. Maybe, just maybe, William can finally rest in peace."

Max nodded, "I'm sure he is Joyce. I'm sure he is."

* * *

 **The Future Refused to Change**

Frank Bowers knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. Usually, Pompidou would lick his face until he sat up, but instead, his dog was lying down, looking glum.

Frank, already dressed, stepped outside. The whole atmosphere seemed sad. There were huge storm clouds and it was sprinkling, but what really got him were the auras of the people around him. They all seemed so depressed.

Frank was about to step inside the Two Whales for breakfast, when a discarded newspaper caught his eye. Picking it up, he observed Rachel's face next to a picture of a crime scene in the junkyard. He tried to sort this out in his mind as he walked in the diner. That's when he heard the TV.

 _"And now the only thing Arcadia Bay seems to be talking about. Maxine Caulfield and Chloe Price exposed teacher and renowned photographer Mark Jefferson, really Harry Aaron Prescott, as a monster. Jefferson is accused of kidnapping multiple girls and taking pictures of them bound in a secret room. Some got away with their lives, like Kate Marsh, who was too drugged to remember anything. Those unlucky enough for the drugs to wear off, such as Rachel Amber, were killed."_

Frank couldn't take his eyes away from the TV as Rachel's beautiful face was shown on the screen.

* * *

In Chloe's car, Chloe and Max were on their way to see Kate when Max's phone rang.

She answered as Chloe drove, "Hello?"

Frank's voice came from the other end, "I've read the newspaper. Even saw it on TV. Is it true?"

Max suddenly felt really bad for not calling Frank earlier, "Yes... it's true... about Rachel. She's been dead for months." The line went dead. "That was Frank."

"I still can't believe it. Both Rachel and my dad killed by that maniac. My dad should be alive right now. Here!"

Max shook her head, "Actually Chloe. I think he would've preferred it this way."

The tires screeched as Chloe suddenly pulled over, "Do you honestly think my dad would prefer to get stabbed to death than to live and maybe even help me find Rachel before she was killed!"

It was then that Max remembered that Chloe didn't know, "Remember when I said that I used Warren's photo to get back here?"

"Yeah so what?!"

"I did the same thing with the last photo William took of us."

Chloe seemed very confused by this statement, "Then why didn't you save my dad?"

"I did, and saw how the world turned out. Rachel Amber was still missing, you never even met her, all of that weird stuff was happening, and most importantly, you were nearly killed in a car accident that left you needing all sorts of technology to survive. If I was a parent, Chloe, I'd prefer to die than see my child slowly dying. That's why I went back and changed everything."

Chloe sat silently, taking it all in. Max waited patiently as Chloe stared into nothingness, stuck in her thoughts. Max herself went to staring out the window at the storm clouds. She was really hoping there would be no tornado. It was way too cold for one.

"You saved my father?"

"I wanted you to be happy, but even in that universe you had something to be really upset over. I'm really sorry."

Chloe sighed, "I'd rather be dying than lose my father... but I know he would rather die than see me suffer."

"Exactly. I wish it would've worked out."

"Maybe in a perfect world, but sadly..." Chloe stopped talking, staring out her window.

"Sadly...?"

Chloe laid back in her seat, "It's not a perfect world," she cleared her throat, "Max, there's something I have to tell you." Her eyes suddenly widened.

"Yeah?"

"Look!" shouted Chloe as she pointed. Max followed her gaze to see a monster tornado forming in the sky.

"Oh my God! It's still happening!" The girls could only stare as the tornado grew bigger.

"What do we do?!"

Max thought for a moment, "I can only think of two reasons the tornado is still happening. Either the fabric of the space-time continuum is tearing apart at the source or fate is trying its hardest to make sure you die!"

Chloe plopped her head on the steering wheel, "What did I ever do to incur the wrath of God?!"

Max focused on relaxing. She had to think about how she could solve this. Perhaps she had to go to that same place as in her visions.

"Chloe, remember when I first told you about my powers? I need to get there!"

* * *

Beads of sweat formed on Chloe's forehead as she drove way over the speed limit. She had no idea what Max was planning, but it better work. She finally got to the edge of the forest when flying debris crashed through her window and hit her head.

She was out for a very short amount of time. When she awoke, she noticed Max wasn't in the passenger seat anymore. She moved her head quickly, making herself dizzy, to look for her. She saw her running toward the lighthouse.

Not wasting a second, Chloe jumped out of her truck, not bothering to close the door and ran after her best friend. While Chloe was faster than Max, the wind was blowing against her. Whatever Max had in mind, she wouldn't let her do it alone, even if she was a bit late.

She observed as Max stopped by the bench near the lighthouse. Slowly, Max began walking to the edge of the cliff. She was getting so close in fact, that Chloe was afraid she might fall off.

It was then that she realized that was the plan.

"Max, no!" Max couldn't hear her over the storm, and stopped so that her toes were hanging off the cliff. "Max!"

Chloe ran faster than she ever had in her life. She lost her father, lost Rachel, and she wasn't going to lose Max too. Max was just so important to her. If anything happened to her, Chloe would never forgive herself, not ever.

Just as Max began to fall forward, Chloe wrapped her arms around her friend's waist and pulled her back. Both toppled backwards and landed in front of the bench.

"Chloe?!" Both girls got to their knees. They were and facing each other, just like how it had been on Monday.

Chloe used one hand grabbed Max's wrist to assure herself that she was there and to not let Max have another attempt to jump off, "You can't do this! I won't let you!"

Max shook her head, "You don't understand."

"No! You don't understand! This won't fix anything!"

"It's either this or I let you die Chloe! And I'm not going to let that happen!"

The punk girl grabbed Max's other wrist, "If you die then I die!"

"Are you threatening to jump after me?"

"I'm saying I love you! I just can't live without you! These five years without you have been a nightmare, the only light being Rachel! If you jump than my entire life will be miserable!"

It was then that the complicated feelings Chloe had for Max suddenly connected. She knew had a crush on the girl in front of her. That was what she was going to tell her before she saw the tornado. She had dared Max to kiss her because she herself wanted the kiss, she had known it at the time. However, now she realized that her crush on Max was more than a crush. She was willing to do anything now, to be sure Max was safe.

Chloe couldn't help it. She pulled Max in for a kiss. To her surprise, Max began kissing back. Not that she was complaining. Despite what was happening, it was the best kiss Chloe had ever had, better than the ones she had with anyone else. And she had kissed many people during her "bad boy" phase.

Chloe slowly pulled away, "I love you."

The comment made Max smile, but it went away when she said, "Chloe... you have to let me do this! If I'm right about this, then this tornado heading to destroy the town is my fault from the very beginning."

Chloe suddenly got an idea and began digging around in her pockets, hoping that what she was looking for was dry, "You think killing yourself by jumping off the cliff will make everything better?! There has to be another way!" Finally, she pulled out the butterfly photo, "Here, take the photo!"

Max held it, shielding it from the rain with her head as she looked down at it, "But... this is..."

"Listen, if what you say about the fabric of the space-time continuum tearing apart is true, then you need to get back to Monday when all of this started!"

"And do what?!"

"Let Nathan get caught with his gun and expose Jefferson!"

Max looked up at Chloe, "It's worth a shot I guess."

Chloe smiled, hugging Max, "Go get 'em Super-Max."

"I will." Chloe let Max go and watched as Max began to focus.


	5. CG Part 3: Back to Monday

**Here you go CG! I'll try to edit the chapters when I can, but I warn you that it may take awhile. I have school and other fanfiction stories to work on. Plus, I still have other theories to write about here.**

 **To address both CG and Guest, yeah I can't cuss. :P Hopefully the language doesn't have an effect on the stories too much.**

 **I hope I wrote the Pricefield scenes right. While I do enjoy Pricefield, I'm a Marren/Grahamfield shipper, as you'll see in an upcoming theory of mine.**

 **Here, Max exposes Jefferson, wakes up in the hospital, goes to San Francisco, and narrates her life ten years later. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Back to Monday (October 7, 2013)**

"Get that gun away from me psycho!" Chloe yelled as she tried to push him away, her eyes full of fear.

That's when Max froze time, when Nathan was starting to pull the trigger. Focusing most of her energy on keeping time frozen, Max slowly walked over to the two and pulled Chloe aside.

It wasn't easy. Chloe was frozen stiff and dragging her was like dragging a couch. The sound her shoes made moving across the floor were similar to the sounds of moving a couch as well.

Max opened the door, and managed to drag Chloe away. When they were a good distance from the bathroom, in front of the principal's office, she resumed time.

Chloe had still been in the process of pushing Nathan, and she would have fallen backwards if Max hadn't caught her. At the same time, a gunshot rang in the area.

"Chloe, are you okay?!" Max asked.

She stared at her in surprise, "Max?! How did... what happened?!"

Students and faculty that had heard the gunshot raced out of the classroom, heading for the exit in a panic. They all stopped in their tracks when Nathan appeared out of the bathroom with the gun.

The door behind Max opened and Principal Wells stepped out, "What's going on?!"

Taylor held on tightly to Courtney's arm, "OMG! Nathan's got a gun!"

Ms. Grant tried to use herself as a human shield for some of the students, Samuel had his mop at the ready to swing, and Mark Jefferson and Victoria had arrived from the art room and managed to get past the crowd.

Victoria looked more heartbroken than scared, "Nathan?"

Max observed as Nathan went into complete panic mode, frantically moving his head in the direction he heard comments coming from.

"I didn't think he was that messed up!"

"Karma comes to Blackwell!"

"Did you see him come out of the _girl's_ bathroom?"

Mr. Madsen appeared from the crowd, looking awfully angry, "Drop the gun Mr. Prescott!"

Max knew David wasn't doing a good job at diffusing the situation. Nathan looked ready to run and Max couldn't let that happen. He needed him to expose Mr. Jefferson.

She ran forward, getting in between Mr. Madsen and Nathan, "David wait! Let me handle this!"

If David was surprised that Max had suddenly jumped between them he didn't show it, "Don't be foolish and start acting like a hero Missy! And that's Mr. Madsen to you!"

"I said shut up and let me deal with this!"

"Now you listen here-"

Chloe shouted, "Shut up David!" The atmosphere was getting tense, not good at all if there was any hope to calm Nathan down.

Max turned to him, and said calmly, "Nathan, you know me right? Max Caulfield."

Nathan sneered at her, "I saw your ripped photo in the bathroom."

"Nathan, I want to help you."

That seemed to set him off, "Help me?! How could you possibly help me?! You don't even know me! Nobody knows me!"

"That's just not true," she responded.

"You don't get it do you?! Everybody hates me! EVERYBODY!"

Max shook her head, "That is not true Nathan! What about your older sister Kristine or Victoria? They understand what you're going through."

Victoria took a few steps forward, "It's true Nathan. I do care. You're my friend." Nathan looked at her, smiling a bit at her words. She smiled warmly back at him.

Max tried to make her tone as serious as possible, "Nathan, listen to me." He didn't turn his head away from Victoria, but Max somehow knew he was listening. "I know about the room under the barn."

Nathan's head whirled to face her so fast in Max's direction that Max was afraid he'd hurt his neck, "What?!" Everyone else, besides Mr. Jefferson, were confused with what Max was talking about, but sensed it was something important.

"I know about the Dark Room under the barn Nathan. You're not going to like hearing this but... Mr. Jefferson is planning for Victoria to be the next victim."

Everyone began murmuring more amongst themselves. All eyes were now on the photographer, who seemed really nervous.

Nathan looked at Jefferson, "Is that true?!"

Mr. Jefferson seemed offended by the accusation, "What?! I would never make Victoria a victim of anything!" he then addressed everyone, "I would never make anyone a victim of anything!"

Afraid Nathan would believe him, Max said, "Are you really going to believe the words of your uncle over mine Nathan?" Everyone stared at her in confusion.

"My... my uncle?" he asked. She realized that he must've not known. Well he was going to now.

"Open your eyes, Nathan! The reason he has so much influence over you is because he's your father's younger brother! When you look at his face, don't you see the resemblance to your father?! I know the truth… about everything! Mr. Jefferson is really Harry Aaron Prescott! I know about the drugs that you and Frank use… I know that Jefferson told you to use it on girls like Kate, but not even you realize what Jefferson had planned for them! I know about that secret bunker in that old barn where he keeps records of his victims! I know the passcode to open the door is 542! Rachel is dead, Nathan, she's buried in the junkyard because of him! William Price, Chloe's father, is also dead because of him!"

At this all of the students and faculty gasped. Some people even began crying at the news, probably people who knew Rachel. Nathan himself looked like he might let tears fall at the news. However, it was David and Chloe who looked the most horrified of all.

Chloe stammered, "Max... W-what did you say?!"

Before Max could continue Principal Wells asked Nathan, "Is this true Mr. Prescott?"

Hearing the deaths of victims flipped some sort of switch in Nathan's brain. Now he looked ready to take down Jefferson.

He looked his uncle in the eye with a glare, "It's all true." Everyone began to panic a bit, some people were clutching onto each other.

Chloe looked ready to explode, "You killed my father?! It wasn't enough that you killed Rachel?! YOU KILLED MY FATHER?!"

Jefferson, seeing that he was caught, dropped the nice teacher act, "Unfortunate really. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Tried to help a girl. I had to cover my tracks." All of the students that were closest to Jefferson began to back away.

Nathan held up his gun as he stomped to Mr. Jefferson, "You said no one would be killed!"

"Nathan wait!" Max exclaimed.

Thinking quickly, Jefferson took the gun away from Nathan. The struggle had caused the trigger to be pulled again. It luckily hit only the ceiling, but it caused students to scream and run while teachers tried to protect the students. Victoria was trying to get to Nathan.

Max observed as Jefferson, pushed Nathan to the ground and aimed the gun at Chloe. David also saw, and was charging at Jefferson. Although he might not make it in time.

Max wasn't going to take that chance, she pushed Chloe out of the way as the gun fired, hitting her in the chest.

"NO!" Chloe yelled as Max dropped to the ground. David was getting ready to tackle Jefferson when Nathan got up and was in his way. As David halted Nathan kicked Jefferson in the leg, causing him to fall.

Nathan picked up the gun that Jefferson had dropped, "This ends here!"

Max called out, "Nathan... no!" She winced when she tried to sit up, "Not now!" It seemed to work for Nathan hesitated.

Victoria gently took the gun from Nathan's hand, "It's not worth it."

David finally managed to put cuffs on Jefferson as the students and teachers regrouped around Max. The one's closest to her were Warren, Brooke, Kate, Alyssa, Dana, Juliet, Zachary, Taylor, Courtney, and of course Chloe.

Chloe kneeled down and held Max for support, "Max, why did you do this? Why did you take that bullet for me?"

Max tried her best to answer, "It was... the only way to repair... the damage of the space-time continuum... I had to be sure... that fate wouldn't constantly try to kill you."

The pain was too much. Max knew this was the end for her. The students around her needed to know many things.

Max said, "Guys... this may seem bizarre... but please let me speak. Alyssa... you will nearly get hit with objects a bunch of times... Watch where you are."

Alyssa although confused, nodded.

"Taylor... your mom... she's getting better... she really is."

Taylor smiled and some tears were now falling down her face, "Mom..."

"And Warren..."

Warren looked absolutely heartbroken, "Yeah?"

Max smiled, "Take a hint and ask Brooke out... for goodness sakes... Her crush is so obvious... and I think... you two would be cute... together."

Brooke, blushed a little, but was too focused on Max to say anything to Warren.

Max meanwhile, began to close her eyes. She couldn't fight darkness forever. She'd have to hurry.

"Kate... that video... you were drugged... nothing to be... ashamed of... please be happy." Max's vision was beginning to fade, but she could hear Kate sob.

Chloe spoke, "Max, please don't leave me too! Not after what happened to Rachel! Please..."

It was more painful to hear Chloe so sad, than the bullet wound. She gently reached for her face and pulled her in for a kiss. She didn't care that other people were watching. They were both in too magical a kiss to care.

Meanwhile, Zachary made the same noise an audience would make in a sitcom during a kiss. This got him his own injury in the chest, given to him by Juliet's elbow.

"Idiot," she mumbled.

Max pulled away and let her hands fall from Chloe's cheeks, "I love you Chloe... I'm just... so sorry... it took so long... to tell you... for... me to realize my feelings." She was finding it harder to breathe, "Don't forget me..."

"Max..."

"See ya... around," she said with a smile. It was then that she finally stopped fighting the darkness trying to consume her and lost consciousness.

Chloe held Max's limp body in her arms, "Max? MAX!"

* * *

 **Aftermath (October 11, 2013)**

Max struggled to open her eyes. All she could see was white. After letting her eyes adjust for a bit, she realized it was a ceiling.

She moved her head and noticed someone by her bedside, "Chloe?"

"Max!" Chloe looked ready to hug her, but didn't. Max was grateful because her chest still hurt really bad. "Thank God! You haven't woken up for four days!"

Max's eyes widened, "It's Friday?!"

She nodded, "I can text your parents the good news now! They wanted to come but there are bad storms that caused flights to cancel."

Max raised an eyebrow, "Storms?" She suddenly tried to get up, "The tornado!"

Chloe stopped her and gently pushed her back down, "Easy. There isn't going to be a tornado. Your parents are fine."

"I mean here!"

"Here? The storms are in Seattle. Look outside." Max turned her head to look out the window. The rays of the sun shined on the green grass and trees. Birds could be heard singing to each other.

"No tornado," said Max, "What happened?"

Chloe replied, "Oh the usual. Jefferson was arrested, the Prescotts are done for but Nathan is happy, and you won the Everyday Heroes contest."

Max smiled at the news of Jefferson's incarceration. It really did serve him right. She wasn't sure she ever met a more evil person.

But she was confused about the contest, "I didn't enter a photo."

"I entered one for you," Chloe reached for a nightstand and held up a picture. It was the one Max had tried to take of the ghost deer, but nothing had appeared on the film. It certainly didn't look impressive.

Max raised an eyebrow, "How did this win?"

"For its mysterious nature. When the photo was shown to adults, they didn't see anything, but kids can see a doe standing in the middle. They keep trying to point it out, saying that it's right there, but so far, nothing."

"Wow..."

Chloe rested a hand on Max's, "Everything you said would happen is true. Alyssa had to avoid many things that would have knocked her over or hurt her. Taylor's mom is doing better than ever I hear."

Max smirked, "Told you."

Chloe smiled, "It's funny Max, we haven't seen eachother for five years and yet I feel like you never left."

"I know what you mean."

"Max," said Chloe, "I know you just woke up and all, but I need to ask you some things. How did you save me? What did you mean when you said that fate kept trying to kill me?"

Oh boy, she'd have to explain the whole thing again.

* * *

 **No Fate But What We Make (March 2014)**

Months later, Max exits the terminal of her plane. She had just gotten back from San Francisco and was ready to see her girlfriend.

When she got to the bag checkout, she was attacked from behind.

"Guess who!" exclaimed Chloe.

Max pretended to think, "You seem a lot like David."

Chloe turned Max so she was forcing her, "Don't insult me." She kissed Max. "My mom and David just had to get a bite to eat. We're supposed to meet them by our car."

"Sounds like a plan," Max said as she picked up her luggage. The two began walking through the airport.

"How was San Francisco?"

"The city was amazing! The contest was a blast too!" Max suddenly seemed depressed, "But at the same time, I felt bad. Mark Jefferson was my hero growing up and he praised me as one of his star pupils, but he couldn't come. I feel like I betrayed him. I just can't seem to wrap my head around what he's done."

Chloe nodded, "Neither can I. It's bizarre, but lets not let him ruin the trip."

"I agree," Max decided to change the subject, "So what mischief are we going to cause today?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh great."

* * *

 **Epilogue (December 2023)**

Life had turned out great for me, even if I had no powers anymore. I got to marry the girl of my dreams and we now had a beautiful 4-year-old daughter who looked remarkably like Rachel. In fact, that's what we named her.

I had gotten a great career as a photographer and journalist. People were predicting that my works would be known for generations to come.

At the moment, I'm typing on my computer when I feel Chloe kiss my cheek.

"You Maximus Lane, you getting off that computer anytime soon? You need to step out of the world of journalism every now and then you know."

I turned around in my chair and saw Chloe with Rachel, "Yeah, Mommy! We're visiting Grandma and Stepgramps for Christmas remeber.

I roll my eyes, "Alright alright. I'll get in the car and join you two shortly."

Rachel ran out of the room, "Yay!" Chloe gives my forehead a quick kiss before following our daughter.

After finishing my work I step outside into the freezing weather. It certainly felt like Christmas with the wind stinging my skin and the snow crunching as I walk. I quickly ran to the passenger's side of our car and jumped in.

I heard a couple of teenage boys that lived a few houses down talking, "You'll never guess what I saw!"

"What?"

"A deer!"

"So?"

"This wasn't a normal deer."

I didn't pay attention to the rest of the conversation as Chloe pulled out of the driveway.


	6. Guest: The Two Soldiers

**Hi Guest! Sorry that this chapter isn't as long as the others. It's not that I dislike your theory, it's just that yours is shorter than the other ones. I hope you like it anyway!**

 **CG, than you for making a list of the changes! That helps a lot! I like your story ideas, but I sadly don't have the time at the moment to write them. :(**

 **This chapter is based off of a theory by Guest. The comment specifically said, "Theory: David's private investigation into the female students of Arcadia Bay suggests he probably knew it was somehow connected to William Price's accident. David and William probably knew each at some point (did they serve together at some point?) and became friends but didn't keep in much contact. When David hears what happened to William, David probably felt guilty about not being there to help his friend sooner."**

 **I don't own Life is Strange.**

* * *

David Madsen sat at his table in the garage. In front of him was his computer with various files on the screen. More files on paper were strewn about on the rest of the table.

They were all about various girls in Arcadia Bay, Max Caulfield, Kate Marsh, and Rachel Amber among others. There was something very fishy about Blackwell right now. From Kate's suicide attempt to Max's weird behavior to Rachel Amber's disappearance, it was all very strange.

His gut feeling told him that this had something to do with William Price's death from years ago. He wasn't sure why that was. Maybe it was because nothing happened in the area until that day. Perhaps it was because he couldn't accept that his old friend's death was an accident.

* * *

 _Young David Madsen was lying in his army bunk, unsure of what to do now that exercises were over._

 _He'd always wanted to join the army and protect his country, and he still didn't regret his decision. Hopefully his parents felt more comfortable with his choices and were less worried._

 _"You look deep in thought." David adjusted his head to see that the redhead that occupied the bunk over him was hanging his head off the side of the top bunk. He had a friendly smile on his face._

 _"Yeah, so?"_

 _"People tend to express deep thoughts to make themselves feel better. It just lifts a certain weight off your shoulders, you know?"_

 _"You just seem nosy to me," responded David._

 _"Just a bit."_

 _"Well I've got nothing to say to you."_

 _Rather than upset him, the guy just kept talking, "You're David Madsen, right? You're possibly the most dedicated person to the armed forces."_

 _This caused David to smirk, "Yeah. I've wanted to join the army since childhood."_

 _"At least one of us is happy here. I just want to get money for college."_

 _"Shame."_

 _"I'm William Price. Hopefully your love for this place will rub off on me."_

* * *

Usually, Madsen sat by himself at lunch, but the next day he was joined by William. That's how it was for a long time.

At first, David was very annoyed with the guy trying to be his friend, but as time went on, he realized that he enjoyed his company. Despite the tough life of being a soldier, William was able to keep his bubbly personality and good humor. It was refreshing for David to be around that every once in awhile.

He remembered how disappointed he was when William got the money to go to college and left the army.

* * *

 _William and David stood in the airport. William had just resigned and they were saying their goodbyes._

 _William turned to David, "Well... I guess this is it."_

 _"Yeah... I guess."_

 _"I'm glad I got out of there before we went to war."_

 _David agreed, "I'm not sure if combat is your thing."_

 _"I sure hope you never have to go to war, but if you do, I know you'll kick butt."_

 _David smiled, "I'll be sure of it. You'll write?"_

 _"When I can." The two hugged each other._

 _"Be careful out there Soldier."_

 _"You too David."_

* * *

The two of them had written back and forth. The last time David had heard from William he had met a girl that he was certain was the one. They lost contact after that when David went to war.

He was certain he'd never hear of him again. That was until he moved to Arcadia Bay.

At first he heard nothing of William, but then he met Joyce. After talking at Two Whales they began to see more of each other. It was during their first date when he learned what happened to his old friend.

Joyce had said, _"My husband, William, recently died in an accident. I believe that I should warn you that my daughter isn't open to the idea of me dating again."_

When David got home that day he was certain of two things. One being that he was in love with Joyce and two that his friend was dead. Both of these reasons compelled him to meet Chloe as soon as possible.

Chloe looked more like her mom, but David could see traces of William. She had a similar sense of humor and swore like a sailor. According to Joyce, she acted much more like him before his death. David was a bit surprised when Chloe hadn't greeted him with the same enthusiasm as William had when they met. He wondered how they would get along under different circumstances.

He never told Joyce or Chloe that he had known William, let alone was his friend. He was worried about scaring them off or reopening old wounds from his death.

Now that he was married to Joyce, he felt that it was his duty to protect her and Chloe. Not just because they were his family, but because they were William's too.

David wanted to accept that William's death was an accident, but couldn't. He wanted to give someone the blame.

And David was going to find out who. Hopefully, with this investigation.

* * *

 **There you go!**

 **The next chapter will be a theory of my own about Warren.**


	7. The White Knight Rises

**Hi! So this is a theory of mine about what happened to Warren during and after the Vortex Club party. It's a continuation of my first theory in the first chapter, but it's not connected to any other theories.**

 **I don't own Life is Strange.**

* * *

Warren struggled to open his heavy eyelids. It was Friday, the morning after the Vortex Club party. He felt very weak, but didn't seem to have other symptoms of a hangover.

He couldn't have been hung-over. He only had half a beer offered to him by Mr. Jefferson.

* * *

Warren uneasily walked around the dance floor. The only reason he was at this stupid party was because Max was coming.

Tonight would be the night that he would tell Max his true feelings. He just hoped it wouldn't ruin the friendship that he cherished so much. He liked Max the moment they met. Even though he loved her more than such, he would happily accept a friendship.

Then again, she accepted his invitation to see the Planet of the Apes marathon. That had to be a good sign, right?

Warren was getting nervous that Max wouldn't show. Nathan was getting scary and Max would be wise to avoid him and any place he might be. As a club member, Nathan was most likely to be at the party.

Now that he thought about it, he hoped Max didn't show up. His declaration could wait if her safety was on the line.

He knew Max was in something big. He could tell she was in some sort of investigation (hopefully not dangerous, even if she can take care of herself). Also, she had mentioned that something life changing took place on Monday, something Warren was patiently waiting for her to tell him.

Perhaps he should step away from the party for a bit. The noise and crowd were getting annoying. He was tempted to text Max, but decided that if she changed her mind, she would let him know.

When he stepped outside he was greeted by a familiar voice, "Hey Warren! You came!"

Warren looked to see who had spoken, "Oh, hello Mr. Jefferson. Funny, I didn't think you knew my name."

Jefferson chuckled, "Of course I do! Science may be more your style, but you are in my class. In fact, you're just the guy that I've been looking for."

Warren raised his eyebrows, "Really? Did I do something wrong?" The fight with Nathan flashed through his mind.

Again, the teacher chuckled, "No, no, nothing like that! Would you please accompany me to the teacher's lounge?"

The student thought about what he heard of the lounge. It was supposedly very well decorated and had the comfiest seats known to man.

He couldn't resist, "Sure, but forgive me if my phone goes off while we talk. I'm waiting for a text." That text, of course, would be from Max.

"That's perfectly fine."

* * *

Jefferson opened the door to the lounge, "Welcome."

It was beautiful! There was a long comfy-looking couch and on either side of it were matching chairs. There was a large fridge next to a marble counter. On that counter was a microwave oven and a coffee machine.

At Warren's look of awe, Jefferson said, "Great isn't it? Come on in and have a seat." He gestured to the chair that was facing away from the counter and fridge.

Warren obeyed. It was cozier than it looked and Warren was facing a flat-screen TV. This place was awesome!

Jefferson walked to the fridge, "Like it?"

"Oh yeah!" he responded enthusiastically.

"I thought you would," he opened the fridge and took out two beers, "Can you keep a secret Warren?"

Not seeing the beer cans, Warren responded, "Yeah, definitely."

"Good," Jefferson poured the two beers into cups. Warren didn't see this or when Jefferson put a drug in one of the cups and stirred it in.

Warren asked when Jefferson and the drinks came into view, "What's that?"

"Only the finest beer, "Jefferson handed out one of the cups, "Our little secret."

Thinking it would be rude not to, Warren grabbed the cup, "Thanks." He took a sip, not liking the taste. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Jefferson sat in the other chair, "You're friends with Max Caulfield aren't you?"

Warren felt the urge to promote his friend's talents, "Max is a great photographer! It's her passion! I think she loves that camera more than I love computers."

Jefferson nodded, "I'm well aware of that. She has a gift. How do you feel about her?"

Warren wasn't sure what his teacher was getting at, "She's an amazing photographer and friend."

"It's not common for a friend to get into two fights in one week to defend their pal. Not even crushes." Warren disagreed, but didn't voice it.

Instead, he shrunk into his seat, "You know about that?"

The teacher pointed to his own eye, "You're sporting a lovely black eye there."

Warren took a swig of the disgusting beverage, "I guess you could say I have... feelings for her."

"Indeed," Jefferson drank some of his own beer," Warren, I think it's time we have a talk."

Warren shook his head, "There's no need. I already had the talk with my parents."

The teacher laughed, "No, not that talk. I'm talking about falling in love." Well it's better than what Warren thought he was going to lecture him about.

"You see Warren, when a guy falls for a girl he can lose his capability to think straight. They can put themselves in stupid or even dangerous situations. Like getting in a fight for example."

Warren replied, "Yeah. I guess those fights would seem stupid from an outsider's point of view, but I don't regret helping Max." It was about then that Warren noticed he was getting a bit of a headache.

"I'm sure you don't, but I worry that you might get yourself into a dire situation."

"I would for Max. She's my friend." Warren wanted to mention how Max wasn't in anything dire, but couldn't say that truthfully when Nathan was on her case.

Jefferson nodded, "I figured you'd say that."

Warren nodded matter-of-factly, but quickly stopped. The action had made his head feel odd, like his brain had done somersaults.

The next words Jefferson said sounded faraway as Warren tried to shake the odd feeling off, "I feel that it's my responsibility to be sure that students don't get into anything they shouldn't. It's practically in my job description as a teacher, Warren. For you, it's not too late."

Warren clutched his head with one of his hands, "Max isn't the type of person to get into that kind of trouble."

"No, but she can be quite nosy. Don't get me wrong, Max is a wonderful person who I understand why you like. In fact, how about we have a toast," Jefferson held up his cup of beer, "To Max."

"To Max," they tapped their cups of beer before drinking. Jefferson had finished his and didn't seem phased by the alcohol. This seemed amazing to Warren, considering he now finished half of his and felt like he could fall over.

Warren stood, wobbling a bit before setting his cup on the counter, "I need to get back to the party. I'm expecting someone."

Jefferson asked in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just have to go."

"I understand. Remember, the beer is our secret."

"Yeah... definitely," was what Warren said as he left the lounge, unable to walk in a straight line.

* * *

Now Friday morning, Warren was trying to remember what happened after that. He clearly remembered getting a soda in a red cup when he returned, but everything else was a bit fuzzy.

Feeling much better, he stood and walked to his desk. There he saw a picture of Max and him.

Max was smiling, although she looked like she was trying to force herself to relax. Warren looked completely out of it. His eyes didn't seem focused at all and the only thing seemingly keeping him up was his arm around Max.

So he had been with Max, but what had happened? Did he tell her of his feelings? More importantly, was she okay considering what was going on with Nathan?

He tried to force himself to remember what else happened. All he got was Max warning him to stay away from Nathan. He had replied that he himself knew how to be invisible.

 _"Not to me Warren. Text soon."_

That memory gave Warren the idea to check his texts. He dug out his phone from his pocket and saw that he had a new message from Max.

It read, "Deleting this from my phone as soon as I send it. Chloe and I are heading to the junkyard. Will explain more in person."

Warren found the message very confusing. Perhaps it wouldn't seem so confusing if he remembered their conversation from yesterday. He could ask Max more today in class. They had science together and could discuss the message then.

On second thought, maybe their conversation should be private. Warren could go to the girls dorm, but wasn't sure if that was smart either. Unlike the guys' dorm, people hung out in the hallways there. It would cause unwanted attention if any girls saw Warren.

He settled with texting, "Something weird happened last night. I can't remember much. What's going on with you-know-who?"

He put his phone in his pocket and got ready for school.

* * *

Warren headed into the science class and sat in his seat, patiently waiting for Max. He found it odd that she hadn't responded to his text, but perhaps she just wanted to talk in person.

He stared out the window, looking uneasily at the storm clouds when Brooke blocked his view, "Hey Warren."

"Hey Brooke."

"Some party last night, huh?"

Warren nodded, "Yeah, it was cool."

"Any idea what's going on with the moon?"

Warren shrugged, "I don't know. I've been trying to wrap my head around the eclipse since Tuesday. I've got nothing so far."

"I'm not talking about the eclipse Warren. I'm talking about the twin moons?"

Warren squinted in confusion, "The twin moons?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Wow, you really have been drinking. There were two moons in the sky last night. Ring any bells?"

He shook his head, "No, and I wasn't drunk."

"Sure Warren. You should've seen yourself yesterday."

Warren looked back-and-forth at the two doors entering the science room, hoping Max would enter one of them and sit in her seat next to him. She was usually in class by now. Chloe and her must have been up late at the junkyard.

Brooke tapped his shoulder so that he looked back at her, "Out of curiosity, are you and Max still going to the theater in Newburg?"

He nodded, "Oh course we are. Why wouldn't we?"

She responded, "No one's seen Max since the party last night. I figured since she wasn't here..."

Warren tried not to look disappointed, "Oh. Did something happen last night?" Please don't say anything about Nathan.

"Some people think it's because Victoria won the Everyday Heroes Contest, but I think it has something to do with Nathan."

He started to get worried, "Why?"

"At the party she was asking around if people had seen Nathan. She even went up to _Victoria_ and asked her about him. Turns out no one's seen Nathan at the party and now they're both missing. Spooky huh?"

Warren felt himself panic. Both Max and Nathan are missing. It can't be a coincidence. Something had to have happened.

The bell rang and Ms. Grant stepped into the room. He had to find out what was going on, _now_. Warren knew he wouldn't be able to focus in class anyway, not when Max was in possible danger. His hand shot up to get Ms. Grant's attention.

Unsurprisingly, it worked, "Yes Warren?"

Warren tried to make himself sound as convincingly sick as possible, "I don't feel well... at all."

Ms. Grant's face softened and Warren had to stop himself from celebrating, "You certainly don't look well. Get yourself to the nurse."

Warren nodded and gathered his things before running out of the classroom. He heard some guys chuckle at him, speculating he had to throw up like anyone did after a hangover.

He got to the hallway and noticed Mr. Jefferson grading papers in his room. It was unlikely, but perhaps Jefferson knew where she was.

He stormed in, "Mr. Jefferson!"

The teacher jumped in surprise, "Oh Warren, you startled me. What can I do for you?"

Warren didn't waste any time, "Have you seen Max?!"

Calmly Jefferson shook his head, "I'm afraid not, no, but..."

Warren ran out of the classroom.

* * *

Warren parked his car by his destination. He jumped out, not bothering to get his keys or close the door behind him. Entering the junkyard he searched for any sign of Max or Chloe.

He looked for what seemed like forever until he saw a suspicious looking mound of dirt. Running over to it, he began to clear the dirt away with his hands. After a few seconds, he noticed what seemed to be a hem of a shirt.

Warren scanned the area for anything that could help him dig the area up faster. Luckily for him, he noticed a discarded shovel and grabbed it.

His mind began to race as he scooped up the fresh dirt. What was under here? Did this have anything to do with Max? Hopefully not, but Warren knew the likelihood of the pile of dirt and Max being connected was high.

After a few scoops a foul odor reached Warren's nostrils. He stopped digging, clutching the shovel's handle as tears stung his eyes. He began to frantically shake his head, trying but failing to not think the worst.

He had to find out now. Faster than before he continued digging and noticed the hem of the shirt Chloe had worm yesterday. By the time her face was visible, Warren's arms hurt. He released the shovel and pulled Chloe's body out of the ground, gasping when he noticed another one under it. The other body was unrecognizable. It had obviously been in the ground for some time, longer than when Max had gone missing.

Reality hit Warren of what he was looking at, and he dropped the shovel before frantically crawling away from the bodies he had dug up. He faced away from Chloe and the unknown person on his hands and knees. The stench alone made him feel like he was going to release the contents of his breakfast. His arms shook before he collapsed on his stomach, breathing hard. He closed his eyes and dug his nose into the ground, trying to forget about what he just saw.

Warren felt many emotions go through him at once, the four main ones being disgust, relief, guilt, and fear. Disgust was obviously for having seen these dead bodies. It was difficult to describe the relief he felt that neither of the bodies belonged to Max. He felt a bit guilty for not saving Chloe and for being overjoyed about Max not being in there. Then there was the fear of what had happened to Max.

Max had told him in that text that she and Chloe were going to the junkyard. Here's Chloe, but no Max. There was no Max anywhere. He had to find her, there was no question about that.

Nathan was the key to finding Max, he just had to be. All of the clues were pointing to that no-good freak.

Speaking of clues, Warren opened his eyes to see some words scratched in the dirt. The way the letters were written looked so familiar.

* * *

 _The September air was refreshing to Warren. Being with Max and doing a science experiment made him feel all the more happy._

 _The two were at the beach, collecting sea water that they could look under a microscope later._

 _Max secured a petri dish of sea water, "That's the last one."_

 _Warren took the others and gently laid them in his bag, "I can't wait to look at these babies."_

 _"I'm sure our classmates are just as excited as you," Max said sarcastically._

 _"They should be," he took the petri dish from Max and put them in with the others, "It's amazing how much life is in one petri dish of sea water. Just imagine gallons upon gallons of ocean."_

 _"It's definitely the entire ocean that I can appreciate." With that, Max took her camera and snapped a picture of the sunset over the ocean. She took out the developed picture, "Pretty right?"_

 _Warren looked over Max's shoulder to see the photo and admire its elegance. He heard people say that pictures can't capture nature's beauty, but this photo Max took came pretty close._

 _"This is how a person best appreciates the ocean," said Max._

 _Warren smirked and shook his head, "No. This is how a person best appreciates the ocean!" He took off running toward the waves and dove in. He went out so far that the water came up to his chest._

 _He moved his wet hair out of the way of his eyes, "See? This is the best way!"_

 _Max rolled her eyes, "Enjoy Warren. Just remember that you're still in your clothes, there are sharks in the ocean, and that the ocean is every sea animal's toilet."_

 _"Don't care, don't see any fins, and the trick is not to think about it."_

 _She shrugged, "You make good arguments." She took off her shoes, before running in after him._

* * *

He smiled at the memory. Warren and Max had walked back to Warren's car, laughing the whole way. However, not before writing in the sand.

Max had written for them both, "Max and Warren were here."

This writing that Warren was looking at now looked just like the handwriting Max had used for that message.

It appeared to be some sort of address, so Warren went ahead and typed it into his phone. As soon as the directions popped up, he ran to his car.

* * *

The address turned out to belong to a creepy old barn. Its spookiness didn't stop Warren from exiting his car and trying to open the door.

It was locked, and Warren knew he'd have to find another way in. If only he wasn't in such a hurry to leave Ms. Grant's classroom, he could've swiped some sort of acid to destroy the lock.

It was weird thinking about stealing things. With the exception of illegally downloading movies onto a flash drive, Warren would've never thought about stealing anything before this week. Skipping school, like he was doing now, had also been unthinkable. Mr. Jefferson had been right about guys putting themselves in dangerous situations for someone they love. Quite frankly, Warren didn't care.

Warren found a hole in the side of the barn large enough for him to duck through. He stepped into the barn, immediately noticing an open trapdoor a few steps away. Thankful for it being so obvious, Warren walked down the stairs. He groaned when he came to a locked door that required a code.

There had to be some way for Warren to figure out the code. He stared at the keypad, noticing that some numbers were worn out specifically 2, 4, and 5. He tried the numbers in that order, only for it not to work. He then tried it backwards.

It was accepted and Warren thanked his lucky stars when he just noticed that he would've only had three tries.

With all of his strength he pushed the door open. It looked like a bomb shelter or a refuge in a zombie apocalypse. He stepped inside and noticed Mr. Madsen unconscious and hidden by a shelf of food. Warren then tried to recall when he saw Mr. Madsen yesterday, only to fail. He hadn't seen him.

Warren moved cautiously towards him, half expecting Madsen to suddenly jump up and yell at him for skipping school. He then noticed that his wrists were bound.

"What is this place?" Warren wondered aloud.

"Warren?" He spun around to see Nathan also bound and unconscious, but that wasn't who caught his attention.

Max sat up, her wrists and ankles tied together with duct tape, "Is it really you?"

"Max!" Warren ran over to his friend and hugged her. He explained as he started to untie her wrists, "I saw your message in the junkyard."

"Warren listen! Jefferson is behind this! Leave us here before he gets back! You need to get to the police and send them here!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you! We'll bring this guy down together!" He threw the duct tape that he got off of her wrists to the side.

A new voice entered, "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Warren shot up and looked to Jefferson, keeping in between him and Max, "I could say the same for you, for everyone in this room actually."

Jefferson shook his head, "Do you remember nothing from our talk from last night?"

Warren responded in a way to clear up some confusion he was sure Max had, "You mean when you gave me some beer and warned me not to put myself in danger if Max ever got into any trouble? Yeah, I remember that."

"Good to know I hadn't drugged you up that much, but now look what you've gotten yourself into. All of my guests today now know too much. You will all need to die."

Warren got ready to tackle this guy. There was no way this guy was going to hurt him, let alone Max! But as Jefferson took a step forward, Nathan seemed to suddenly come to life and swung his bound legs so that he hit his teacher in the legs. Jefferson fell forward on his stomach and a gun flew from his jacket past Warren.

The boy took his chance and pounced on Jefferson. As the two began exchanging punches, Max began to drag herself to the discarded gun. Nathan tried to pull his wrists apart, but was failing. Instead he swung some kicks at Jefferson whenever he got close enough.

Warren felt himself being thrown backwards into the white backdrop. When he opened his eyes, he saw Jefferson standing over him. But he wasn't giving up. He was getting ready to tackle Jefferson again when a gunshot rang out and Jefferson fell, clutching his bleeding leg.

Both Nathan and Warren looked over to see Max, pointing the gun at Jefferson. The teacher began to scream in agony but no one in the room felt sorry for him.

Ignoring the screams, Warren raced to Max and hugged her.

She asked him, "Are you alright?"

Warren responded by kissing Max. Although surprised, Max kissed back.

He pulled away from the kiss before squeezing Max into another hug, "As long as you are."

* * *

 **What would happen after this is that Max would use the photo Warren took to go back to the party and save Chloe.**

 **Sorry if this seems fast paced. I want to get as many theories out as I can before Episode 5 comes out.**

 **Guest, I want to keep people's theories separate, so I'm afraid I can't expand the chapter like that. As for your new theory, I think I have an idea on how to write that. :)**

 **CG, I'm flattered that you'd choose me for those story ideas and I'll add your new change on my to do list!**


End file.
